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Tokyo Expressway’s KK Line, a 2-kilometer elevated expressway cutting through the capital’s commercial Ginza district, will shut down Friday at 8 p.m. for a decadelong redevelopment project.

Officially known as simply Tokyo Expressway, the KK Line will be repurposed into a pedestrian-focused public green space called the Tokyo Sky Corridor, with sections opening in phases before its full relaunch in 2035.

The line connects the Shimbashi and Kyobashi districts and serves approximately 25,000 vehicles every day as an alternative to the congested central loop.

Once transformed, the corridor aims to enhance urban greenery and accessibility, with revenue from real estate leases funding its upkeep.

The KK Line’s history dates back to early post-World War II. As part of restoration efforts, the Tokyo Expressway company secured a license in 1952, began construction in 1953 and opened the country’s first privately funded, toll-free expressway in 1966.

To restore Ginza and divert rising automobile traffic, authorities filled in the outer moat of the former Edo Castle along with the Shiodome and Kyobashi rivers, constructing the highway on top of this new land.

The expressway has remained toll-free since its inception due to the rent collected from approximately 400 shops housed in 14 buildings beneath its structure — each named after bridges that once spanned the area’s waterways. This was a novel business model at the time.

The closure of the KK Line is part of a broader redevelopment strategy to relocate the Nihonbashi section of the Metropolitan Expressway underground, while Tokyo is also constructing the Shinkyobashi Connection Road, set to establish a new central loop by fiscal 2035. The redevelopment will significantly reduce the necessity of the KK Line, according to its operator.

“We envision the KK Line as a vibrant green space where people can relax and connect with nature, even in the heart of the city,” the company said on its website. “As a piece of green infrastructure linking people, neighborhoods and the environment, we aim to make it a new symbol of Tokyo’s evolving appeal.”